Brush



(No Model.)

J. RICH.

BRUSH.

No. 428,140. Patented May 20,1890.

WITNESSES INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEROME RICH, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

BRUSH.

SPECIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 428,140, dated May 20, 1890.

Application filed November 21, 1889. Serial No. 331,099. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME RICH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brushes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in brushes; and it consists in forming a series of holes through the brush body between the tufts of bristles or fibers of the brush, and in providing the brush-body with an elastic back-band attached to the ends thereof and extending across the back of the brush, and in setting the tufts of liber in the brush-body so that the inner ends thereof will protrude slightly through the back of the brush.

The object of the invention is to produce a brush to be used as a iiesh-brush or for lavatory purposes, that may be readily retained in the hand by passing the hand between the back of the brush and the elastic back-band thereof, and to provide a brush the elastic back-band of which may be expanded to receive and hold a cakeof soap or sapolio for scrubbing purposes, the cake of soap serving in a sense as the body or handle of thebrush, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and the essential features of the device pointed out particularly in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an inverted view of the brush as mounted on a cake of soap. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through Fig. l.v Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the brush, the dotted lines showing the expansion of the elastic or rubber back-band.

Referring to the letters of reference in the drawings, C indicates the body of the brush, B the back-band thereof, and D the tufts of fiber therein. A represent-s a cake of soap on which the brush is mounted., in which position the soap acts as a handle to manipulate the brush.

The body C of the brush is made of any suitable material, rubber being preferred. The elastic back-band B is attached to the ends of the brush-body, and where rubber is used for the body of the brush, the back band is also of rubber and formed integral therewith, as shown in the drawings. Said back-band is of the entire width of the brushbody and extends longitudinally across the back of the brush in the form of a loop.V The tufts of bristles or rubbing-strands D are se cured in the brush-body, their inner ends protruding through the back of the brush, as shown at e in Fig. 3. The body of the brush is provided with a series of holes ct, forming water-passages therethrough, said holes being arranged between the tufts of bristles.

In making a brush for scrubbing the rubhing-strands D will be coarse and strong. To use the brush for this purpose, the elastic or rubber back-band B is expanded suiciently to place a cake of soap between said band and the back of the brush, as shown in Fig. l. The band B, contracting upon the cake of soap, holds it therein, and the protruding ends e of the tufts D becoming embedded in the under face of the cake of soap, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, assist in holding the soap in place. The soap is grasped in the hand and the brush dipped in thc water, which enters the holes ct in the body of the brush and comes in contact with the soap, which dissolves and iiows down through said holes and through the tufts D, and is by them applied direct to the surface to be scrubbed, supplying the soap as it is required and ef` fecting a saving in its use. It will be observed that as the cake of soap wears away the rubber back -band will contract, and thereby hold the soap against the back of the brush-body and onto the ends of the bristles or fibers projecting through the upper face of the body of the brush.

As a iiesh-brush, or for bathing purposes, the tufts D will be formed of soft yielding fibers, and the brush may be used with or without the cake of soap, as desired. IVhen used without the soap, the hand is inserted IOC between the elastic band B and the back of to the ends of the bruslrbody, said elastic the brush. Said band, contracting across the band adapted t0 be expanded so as to receive back of the hand, has sufficient tension to between the brush-body and said band a har I5 hold the brush in place, so that the brush of soap, and to contract thereon, as and for may be used with the hand open. the purposes specified. l

Having thus fully set forth my invention, In testimony whereof Iafx mysignature in what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters presence of two Witnesses. Patent, is

A brush-body having fibers projecting through two of its surfaces and a series of \\ate1-passages between the clusters of fibers, combined with an elastic back-band attached JEROME RICH. Witnesses:

A. J. GOULD, R. B. GoULD. 

